Do you eat out for lunch? or do you brown bag it?

@estherlou (5015)
United States
March 4, 2007 1:35am CST
It would be fun to be able to eat out every day for lunch, but mercy...it gets expensive! You would spend anywhere from $3.00 if you're really careful, to about $6 or $7 if you are doing fast food. If you went to a restuarant, it would cost more. That adds up to a lot of spending money in one week! And fast food has so many calories if you are trying to watch the calories or even if you are trying to watch the fats or the carbs! So...what do you do?
14 people like this
35 responses
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
4 Mar 07
I take my lunch everyday. As you pointed out, it is too expensive to eat out. I also am trying to watch my fats, cholesterol, and sodium, none of which can I control by eating food that someone else prepares! I enjoy a variety of great foods and have started a trend in brown bagging at my job! I hve taken yogurt, wraps (sandwich made from a tortilla) of all types, many leftovers from the previous day's dinner and other goodies!
4 people like this
@wmg2006 (5381)
• United States
4 Mar 07
I am very privelaged to be able to come home for lunch. I only live 7 minutes from my work and it si so nice to come home for that one hour and unwind from the work atmosphere. I always cook my food on Sunday for the whole next week, so I just come home each day and microwave a hot lunch for me. I could never afford to eat out each day like some of my co-workers do.
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
5 Mar 07
For most of my lunches at school, I take the little entrees that run $1.00 or less, take less than five minutes to cook and are kept in the freezer. I take a whole bag of them in, and eat until they are done. When I leave the house in the morning, I just remember to grab a piece of fruit to go with my lunch. If I do not have one, or I am really hungry, I can get an excellent school lunch for $1.50, but it is homemade, and good, and packs on the weight in no time. If I am working my evening job, I try to have a snack like fruit or nuts in the car, and a carton of milk from school to eat as I go.
• China
5 Mar 07
I eat out for lunch everyday.But I will cook myself for supper.
2 people like this
@missyd79 (3438)
• United States
9 Mar 07
i work from home so yes i make my own food everyday, wheather it is left overs from dinner before or a hotpocket or a sandwhich. When i did work in the office i would also pack my lunch because it did get very expensicve to eat out everyday. i would buy lunch once a week but that is about it.
3 people like this
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
4 Mar 07
Fortunately I do not have to have a lunch for working since I work part time in the evenings and have a snack before I leave and have dinner when i get home. The trick to eating out is to eat good things, not junk. Most fast food is junk. Good for payday and that is about it. A treat. I would eat from the grocery, then I could pick better things for eating while out. Might as well bring from home.
4 people like this
• Ireland
4 Mar 07
If I thought my husband could get a lunch for $3 - $7, I would want him to eat out every day. It would cost that much herd for just a cup of coffee. I usually bake brown bread for his lunch (in a breadmaker) as this is his favourite, and I make an assortment of either ham or salad sandwiches.
3 people like this
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
4 Mar 07
Oh my gosh! This reminded me of one summer I wasn't working. I decided to become suzy homemaker! I canned and I baked pies and I baked bread. I love eating fresh-out-of-the-oven-warm fresh bread with butter on it! YUMM! I gained 65 pounds that summer eating my own baked bread! I haven't baked any bread since then! LOL
1 person likes this
@claudia413 (4280)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Since I only work part time now, I eat my lunch at home most days. If I'm stuck at the office longer than expected, I can run next door and grab some yogurt to hold me over until I get home. It's way too expensive to eat out every day, and I eat healthier by eating at home. We also have a refrigerator at work where we can keep any food that we bring in, and a microwave to heat it in if it needs to be heated.
2 people like this
• United States
4 Mar 07
I actually brown bag everywhere I go because the sodium and fat content in restaraunt food gives me headaches. There's very little I can eat outside my home due to dietary restrictions. And, you're right, eating out usually means eating more.
@klystron635 (1519)
• Philippines
5 Mar 07
When I started working as an intern last year I decided to eat out lunch in the company's cafeteria. I was shocked because their food cost a lot as if it's a restaurant food. And sometimes it doesn't taste good. Then I decided to pack my lunch at least I can choose whatever food I like and also I get to saved a lot.
3 people like this
• Philippines
25 May 07
yes, eating out for lunch can be expensive. it is good that in our country we have these office canteens run by people, who understands the situation of office workers. we are on a tight budget, too. these canteens offers food at prices that are at same footing with those of the students. thus, most of us avail of the services that they are offering.
@maribea (2366)
• Italy
5 Mar 07
I cook my own meals and I bring my lunch with me every morning...then I warm it in the microwave and have it with my colleagues at laboratory...in the evening I prepare something light at home or sometimes I go out with friends...if the weather is nice we can go out and have a traditional Italian ice-cream or sometimes we have a pizza or we have lunch or dinner in our favourite place..I don't like going out for lunch very much because I like eating good and healthy food and they are always using too much oil and other stuff in restaurants...but from time to time I like going out because it is nice sharing time with my friends over a good dish...the thing I prefer is going our for lunch and having some fresh fish...I love fish
3 people like this
@aweins (4199)
• India
25 May 07
I alwayz try to pack my lunch at home and eat. its more hygenic and nutritional factor also counts. if i start eating out everyday, it is not just me , if i order for me something there is alwayz some collegeue with whom i have to share so i have to order accordingly. that will cost more. so i feel it is better, to cook at home, on your own and eat there. you know what you like , what you are eating, how much fat and carbs. are going inside, what is the hygene level......... and so on. i am comfortable to make in the morning and pack. so i will prefer homwe made food. sometimes one can eat out but not alwayz.
2 people like this
@webbuff (926)
• Philippines
5 Mar 07
I usually prepare my lunch as much as i can to save money.. but ofcourse we do have these Friday lunch out every week were we eat in a resto or a fastfood.. its somekind of a reward for a hard week's work.. try it. =)
3 people like this
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
20 May 07
I usually brown bag it as there isn't a very good choice around work and really over priced. I usually cook to much and have a freezer full of leftovers for lunches.
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
20 May 07
You're right. We could eat better if we ate our own cooking instead of being lazy and eating fast food!
@sherinek (3320)
• United States
5 Mar 07
I cook everyday. We cannot afford to eat out. Not only that, its simply not healthy to eat fast foods and oily stuff everyday. Since my hubby is a diabetic patient, I cook special meals for him. Even I bring lunch from home. I think it is more healthier to eat food you cook.
2 people like this
@suscan (1955)
• United States
7 Mar 07
I usually buy my lunch becuase I work at a hospital, and the meals are reasonable and they have a pretty good variety.
2 people like this
@BunGirl (2638)
• United States
5 Mar 07
Well these days I'm home all day, so it's not an issue. When I was still working in an office though, I used to take microwave meals to work four days a week and treat myself on Friday. This way I controlled both my nutrition and my spending, but still got to go out to lunch with the crew now and then.
2 people like this
• Philippines
5 Mar 07
Our concessionaire here at the office offers affordable foods. For less than a dollar (if you convert that to peso), I can get myself a decent meal. So, I seldom pack lunch. The lowdown is sitting beside your officemates who will tell you all his/her rantings and whinings at work. =)
2 people like this
• United States
7 Mar 07
I brown bag it. It is way to expensive to eat out at lunch and also the time involved. It would just take to much of my lunch time since I only have 30 minutes for lunch. Plus at a fast food place the calorie intake is something I don't like. So when I brown bag it I have food that is of good food value.
• United States
5 Mar 07
i always brown bag it, i can make a better lunch for far less than what i would pay a fast food place.
2 people like this